Chapter 7
SEVEN
One Year Later
“Renn! Is that blood?” Blair asked, stunned, as he joined their group in the library where they had been studying all afternoon.
“It’s nothing. I promise,” he said, waving it off.
He was late joining them after a nasty cut to his eyebrow.
Their study group was now up to seven—a tight friend group that started to come together last year.
Blair and Renn met in their space history class and then, one connection led to another, and now the group did practically everything together.
Studying, movie nights, weekend activities.
“Another tough day in combat training, Renn? Or did you just trip over something?" Nate teased.
“No,” Renn said slowly, plopping down beside him.
Over the past year, he had grown a few more inches, his voice getting lower.
Renn growing into his blessed Anton genes only made him more popular than he already was.
Nate, too. Not quite as tall as Renn, but his once-chubby cheeks had melted away over the summer.
“Why aren’t you doing combat training this year, Hayden?” Mateo asked. He had a pen clasped between his teeth. The others—Crystal, Davis and Heath—all looked to Nate for his response.
“Oh, Nate doesn’t do anything that could mess up that pretty face of his,” Renn mused.
“Shut up, Anton.”
“Anton? Oh, it must be true then if you’re resorting to last names, Hayden.” He dragged out the last word before Nate shoved him lightly.
“So, why did you sign up to continue combat training again?” Mateo turned to Renn. Nate gave Renn a knowing look. He knew exactly why he wanted to keep going.
Colin Locke.
Renn had shared with Nate the warning his father had given him—his advice boiling down to keep his friends close, but his enemies closer.
“Oh, you know, in case we have to fight off a twelve-foot alien that’s trying to eat us someday. We have to be prepared.” Nate smirked.
“We? Remember the face, Nate.” Renn playful slapped him on the cheek.
“Hey, you’ll be sorry when you’ve broken your nose one too many times and my face will still be perfectly symmetrical."
“You know women do love a man with scars. Not that Renn needs it to enhance anything,” Blair imagined, studying her notes. Realizing what she said out loud, she looked up at the six pairs of eyes staring at her. Her cheeks reddened, but before anyone could respond, Renn stepped in to spare her.
“All I'm going to say is, don't forget when an alien comes for us, you’ll be glad I'll be able to save your ass.” The group laughed, and Blair gave him a grateful smile. He winked in return, a silent “you’re welcome.”
“Oh, I’d love to see that happen. Renn v.s. Alien monster. Who wants to take bets?” Nate said, a little too excited for Renn’s liking.
“Okay, that’s it, we aren’t watching those movies again for a while. And besides, you usually fall asleep and I’m left alone, watching some guy die by being burned alive by acidic blood.” Renn chuckled.
They all laughed.
“Speaking of space . . .” Heath said, sitting up straighter, his red hair clashing as it always did with the maroon of his uniform.
“When are we not speaking of space?” Nate joked.
“Can you be quiet for two seconds?” Crystal, usually the quietest of the group, asked, rolling her eyes playfully.
“He can’t help it; he likes hearing himself talk,” Davis quipped, throwing a pen in Nate’s direction.
“Anyway . . .” Heath continued, “Is anyone feeling nervous for Friday?” It would be the first time any of them would go to space. Renn had been counting down the days like it was Christmas morning.
“Shapiros practice simulations are way harder than I anticipated.” Blair’s brows furrowed as she tapped through her notes from the thousandth time.
Their NexTabs were spread out on the large table in the study alcove.
The academy library was massive. Other groups were spread throughout, but they secured the best spot with extra plush chairs in the far corner for added privacy.
“You’re not wrong there. Even Nate is worried if he’ll pass,” Renn replied, giving his friend a smirk.
“Oh, please. We will see who passes with the highest test score in the end.”
“My money is on you,” Blair whispered, leaning into Renn so only he could hear. He gave her a quick wink and she blushed again, covering her face with her strawberry blonde hair as she bent to look through a textbook.
“There’s a reason why it’s just a test. It’s okay to make mistakes now so we don’t make them later, when it really matters,” Renn reassured them.
They all nodded in agreement, but Blair’s face was still painted with worry.
He nudged her knee with his so she would look at him.
"You'll be fine,” he mouthed to her and she smiled, her face lighting up with his confidence in her.
The group of friends remained in the library for the rest of the evening, spending some of their time discussing everything other than school, and quizzing each other on possible scenarios they would be tested on come Friday, and Renn was content with the people that surrounded him, excited for their next step in reaching the unknown of outer space.
Renn packed his bag the night before for the week-long excursion, but Nate was practically shoving everything within arm’s reach into his suitcase.
“You could have told me to pack when you did,” Nate complained, attempting to half fold a couple of extra uniforms into the disarray of his bag.
“I did! You were too busy playing your video game. Which, by the way, is why you woke up late this morning.” Renn laughed.
“Oh shit. You did say that, didn't you?” Nate pouted, trying to zip his bag closed.
“Sure did. Now, hurry up!”
After sprinting through campus, they made it to the platform just in time. Professor Shapiro wasn’t impressed with them cutting it so close, but marked them present on the manifesto.
“Suit up, everyone,” she instructed as the shuttle doors closed with a hiss.
The shuttles to outer orbit didn’t require suits these days, but this one was used for training purposes, such as this one.
They would experience a greater intensity, leaving Earth’s atmosphere, and have the practice of adorning space suits.
They would also experience some time in zero gravity as they ran through a variety of emergency situations and tasks that a normal SEA crew conducted on a regular basis.
Renn pulled on the suit and secured his helmet in place with a loud click. Some of the other cadets were struggling to get everything in place, including Blair.
“Need some help?” Renn offered. She nodded gratefully. Her hands were shaking slightly as she pulled on her gloves. Renn gently placed the helmet over her head and double checked it was locked in place.
“Sorry. I’m just so nervous,” she admitted, embarrassment blushing her cheeks.
“You do know you’re working toward a career in space exploration, right?” He said it with a wink. He wasn’t being cruel, he was attempting to make light of the situation, and to her surprise, it was working. Her shoulders relaxed a bit.
“Ha ha ha. Thinking about it and actually doing it is much more intense than I realized." She wasn’t the only one. Several cadets looked nervous—some faces as white as a sheet. “Hey, it’s all good. We’re safe. Ee get to float around Earth for a week. We’ll have fun.”
“Yeah?”
“Definitley. Come on.” He found them a couple of seats next to each other and they strapped themselves in.
Blair almost jumped when Renn grabbed her hand. She gazed up at him, the reflection of her petrified face in his helmet, but Renn was calm, keeping his focus on her.
“This is fun. Remember,” he said encouragingly, squeezing her hand. Blair knew Renn didn’t have a crush on her the way she did him, but still, her thoughts weren’t on space now. Everyone looked at Renn when he was in a room, so when he gave you his attention, it made you feel important.
“So much fun,” she said, half laughing, and this time, she meant it all, because of him.
Professor Shapiro checked everyone’s suits and harness before strapping herself into her own seat.
The excited and nervous chatter slowly faded as the moment inched closer.
Renn knew he wasn’t the only who had been waiting years for this moment, but he also knew for certainty that no one was quite as elated as he was.
He closed his eyes. The mural formed in his mind. This was it.
“Ready for lift off.” The pilot announcement sounded over the speakers and the countdown began.
The week at the space station was everything Renn hoped it would be and more. The extreme g-forces transferring to weightlessness was almost a spiritual experience. Pictures of Earth from up above were nothing in comparison to the real thing.
There was a reverence for the first several minutes when they had reached orbit, each of them truly at a loss for words at the magnitude of beholding Earth in all its unfiltered glory.
The simulations they ran though had gone well, with one case in particular where Renn set a record time for rooting out the problem to an artificial carbon leak.
The majority of their stay was evaluations and duties, but they did have the occasional down time.
He could easily picture his friends all together as a crew someday.
If only he had been able to participate in an actual space walk, the experience would have been perfect, but that wouldn’t happen till later in the year.
When they loaded the shuttle to reenter Earth’s atmosphere, Renn was already itching to get back, and he noticed Nate had the same look of disappointment when they loaded up to return to solid ground.
Only a couple more years and they would be space-travelling full-time, and if luck was on their side, they’d be together.